Wireless control of firearm accessory using ultrasonic communication

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatus, and systems provide wireless remote control of firearm accessories using ultrasonic communication through air. In some variations a transmitter and a receiver used in these methods, apparatus, and systems need not be in line-of-sight, so the location of the accessory on the firearm may be selected independently of the location of remote controls for the accessory. The firearm accessories may be or include, for example, laser pointers and illuminators.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/337,750 titled “Wireless Control of Firearm Accessory Using Ultrasonic Communication” and filed May 17, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to wireless remote control of firearm accessories such as illuminators and laser pointers, for example, using ultrasonic acoustic communication.

BACKGROUND

It is well known to use various accessories such as, for example, illuminators and laser pointers mounted on firearms. Such accessories may have various hunting, security, law enforcement, and military applications, for example. Users of such accessories may find it advantageous if they could mount the accessory towards the muzzle end of the firearm and operate it remotely with controls located near the grip of the firearm. Further, users may find it advantageous if they were able to mount the accessory at various alternative locations on the firearm (e.g., top, bottom, right, or left sides) independently of the location of the controls. A wired communication link between the controls and the accessory could interfere with features of the firearm that are active during operation of the firearm, however. Further, a line-of-sight wireless communication link between the controls and the accessory would require coordinated positioning (e.g., in line-of-sight) of the controls and the accessory, and a radio frequency wireless communication link between the controls and the firearm would be potentially susceptible to detection by others and easily jammed or interrupted by radio-frequency based countermeasures, which may be disadvantageous in security, law enforcement, and military applications.

SUMMARY

This specification discloses methods, apparatus, and systems for wireless remote control of firearm accessories using ultrasonic communication through air.

In one aspect, a wireless control system for a firearm accessory comprises a transmitter module comprising an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory, and a receiver module comprising an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the one or more signals transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitter. The receiver module controls operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands represented by the ultrasonic signals it receives from the transmitter module.

The accessory and the receiver module may be located on the firearm towards its muzzle end and the accessory operated remotely using controls (e.g., mechanical switches such as buttons) in a transmitter module located on the firearm near the firearm grip or otherwise conveniently positioned for use. The transmitter and receiver modules need not be in line-of-sight, so the location of the accessory on the firearm may be selected independently of the location of controls. Preferably a transmitter in the transmitter module is pointed at least roughly in the direction of a receiver in the receiver module.

The transmitter module may be at least partially integrated into the firearm, at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm, or both. The receiver module may be at least partially integrated into the firearm, at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm, or both.

The firearm accessory may include, for example, one or more laser pointers, one or more illuminators, or one or more laser pointers and one or more illuminators. Illuminators typically provide a larger cone-angle illumination beam than a laser pointer. The light source for an illuminator may be or comprise a laser or a light emitting diode, for example. The laser pointers and illuminators may emit visible or infrared light, for example. The accessory and the receiver module may be detachably mounted to the firearm using a conventional firearm rail system, for example.

In another aspect, a method for wireless control of a firearm accessory comprises transmitting from a transmitter module one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory, receiving the one or more ultrasonic signals with a receiver module, decoding the one or more ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module to identify the commands they represent, and controlling the firearm accessory according to the decoded commands. This method may be practiced using the wireless control system for a firearm accessory summarized above, for example.

The method may comprise decoding the ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module with a field programmable gate array (FPGA) in the receiver module. The commands may be encoded as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed (HFSK) code, for example.

In yet another aspect, a method of making a wireless control system for a firearm accessory comprises encoding one or more commands for transmission as one or more ultrasonic signals, the one or more commands being for controlling operation of the firearm accessory, configuring a transmitter module to transmit the one or more ultrasonic signals in response to activation of one or more control (e.g., mechanical) switches, and configuring a receiver module to receive the one or more ultrasonic signals and control operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands encoded in the ultrasonic signals. This method may be practiced to make the wireless control system for a firearm accessory summarized above, for example.

The method may comprise encoding the commands as ultrasonic signals using an HFSK code, for example. In variations in which the receiver module comprises a field programmable gate array, the method may comprise configuring the field programmable gate array to decode the ultrasonic signals to identify the commands they represent.

The method may comprise arranging at least a portion of the transmitter module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm, integrating at least a portion of the transmitter module in the firearm, or both. The method may comprise arranging at least a portion of the receiver module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm, integrating at least a portion of the receiver module in the firearm, or both.

These and other embodiments, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art when taken with reference to the following more detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that are first briefly described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an electronic schematic for an example ultrasonic transmitter module.

FIG. 2 shows an electronic schematic for an example ultrasonic receiver module.

FIG. 3 shows an example of ultrasonic transmitter and receiver modules arranged in housings mounted on a firearm to operate a firearm accessory also mounted on the firearm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings, in which identical reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the different figures. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selective embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The detailed description illustrates by way of example, not by way of limitation, the principles of the invention. This description will clearly enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

This specification discloses methods, apparatus, and systems for wireless remote control of firearm accessories using ultrasonic communication through air. Ultrasonic acoustic communication through air is disfavored for most communication applications because ultrasonic communication signals are typically strongly attenuated by air, and consequently the data transmission rate by ultrasonic communication in air is typically low over distances greater than a few (e.g., about 100) meters. Applicant has discovered, however, that ultrasonic communication in air can support sufficiently high data rates to enable wireless control of firearm accessories as described in this specification (e.g., over distances of about 1 meter or less). Applicant has recognized in addition that the short range of ultrasonic communication in air, particularly at low signal magnitudes, and the inability of humans to detect ultrasonic communications without instrumentation, are advantageous for these applications because they make it difficult for other parties to intercept or jam the control signals to the firearm accessory. This is particularly advantageous for military uses. Further, an enemy may not even be looking for such signals.

As noted above in the summary section, wireless control systems for firearm accessories as disclosed herein comprise a transmitter module that includes an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory, and a receiver module that includes an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the one or more signals transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitter. The receiver module controls operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands represented by the ultrasonic signals it receives from the transmitter module.

The transmitter module may, for example, be enclosed in a housing that is configured to be mounted to a firearm using any suitable mounting method. Alternatively, the transmitter module may be integrated into a portion of the firearm, for example into a stock and/or grip portion of the firearm. As yet another alternative, a portion of the transmitter module may be integrated into or separately attached to the firearm (e.g., in the stock and/or grip portion), and the remaining portion enclosed in a housing mountable to the firearm. For example, the transmitter may be arranged in a housing mountable to the firearm, and buttons or other (e.g., mechanical) switches controlling operation of the transmitter (and thus the firearm accessory) may be separately attached to or integrated into the firearm. Portions of the transmitter module that are separately attached to or integrated into the firearm may communicate with portions of the transmitter module arranged in a separate housing mounted on the firearm via wired electrical or optical signals, for example, or by any other suitable arrangement.

The receiver module may, for example, be enclosed in a housing that is configured to be mounted to a firearm using any suitable mounting method. Alternatively, the receiver module may be integrated into a portion of the firearm. As yet another alternative, a portion of the receiver module may be integrated into or separately attached to the firearm, and the remaining portion enclosed in a housing mountable to the firearm. Portions of the receiver module that are separately attached to or integrated into the firearm may communicate with portions of the receiver module arranged in a separate housing mounted on the firearm via wired electrical or optical signals, for example, or by any other suitable arrangement.

The receiver module and the firearm accessory may be integrated into a single module, or may be physically separate components. In the latter case the receiver module may communicate with and control the firearm accessory via wired electrical or optical signals, for example, or by any other suitable arrangement.

FIG. 1 shows an electronic schematic for an example ultrasonic transmitter module 100 suitable for use in the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein. In the illustrated example, transmitter module 100 comprises one or more control switches 110 (e.g., buttons or other mechanical switches) operable individually and/or in combination to represent commands for controlling the firearm accessory, a processor 120 that responds to operation of the control switches by outputting a low level square wave on which is encoded the corresponding commands, a signal conditioning circuit 130 that smooths out and conditions the square wave into an offset sinusoidal wave, a high efficiency low power amplifier 140 optimized for the working transmission signal frequency range that amplifies the output of signal conditioning circuit 130, a power supply module/circuit 150 that establishes the output transmit rail for power amplifier 140, a piezoelectric transducer 160 that converts electrical energy into the desired ultrasonic acoustic signals, a tuning element 170 for the piezoelectric transducer (for example, a low-profile series inductor or parallel capacitor and series inductor depending on the complex impedance of the piezoelectric element), and an isolation and step-up transformer 180 coupling the output of power amplifier 150 to tuning element 170 and to piezoelectric transducer 160 to drive piezoelectric transducer 160 to emit an ultrasonic acoustic signal on which are encoded the commands initiated by operation of control switches 110.

FIG. 2 shows an electronic schematic for an example ultrasonic receiver module 200 suitable for use in the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein. In the illustrated example, receiver module 200 comprises a piezoelectric transducer 210 (similar to piezoelectric transducer 160 in the transmitter module) that converts acoustic signals it receives into electrical signals, a DC blocking capacitor 220 and back-to-back diodes 230 providing protection from large DC or AC signals, a preamplifier and filter circuit 240 that selects and amplifies frequencies of interest, an isolation transformer 250 that couples piezoelectric transducer 210 to preamplifier and filter circuit 240, a signal conditioning module 260 that converts the filtered and amplified analog/sinusoidal signals output by preamplifier and filter circuit 240 into offset low level square wave signals, an FPGA 270 configured to correlate and decipher the signal structure in the low level square waves, a microprocessor 280 that operates a firearm accessory 290 based on FPGA 270 correlating the incoming signal and indicating a valid command, and a power supply module/circuit 300 including voltage converter modules 310 that provide the required supply voltages to preamplifier and filter circuit 240, FPGA 270, microprocessor 280, and firearm accessory 290. In the illustrated example, firearm accessory 290 is or comprises a laser diode and a driver for the laser diode, and microprocessor 280 turns the laser diode drive and laser diode on or off, or adjusts the output power emitted by the laser diode, depending on the commands decoded from the incoming signal by FPGA 270.

FIG. 3 shows an example arrangement of an ultrasonic transmitter module housing 300, an ultrasonic receiver module housing 310, and a firearm accessory 330 (in this example, a dual beam aiming laser) all mounted on a firearm 340. Transmitter module housing 300 and receiver module housing 310 are on opposite sides of the firearm and thus not in line-of-sight. An ultrasonic transmitter module in housing 300 may be used to send control signals for accessory 330 to an ultrasonic receiver module in housing 310. The ultrasonic receiver module communicates with and controls firearm accessory 330 via (e.g., electrical or optical) cable 320.

The ultrasonic signals transmitted and received in the methods, apparatus, and systems for wireless remote control of firearm accessories disclosed herein may have frequencies in the range of about 200 kHz to about 300 kHz, for example.

The commands may be encoded as ultrasonic signals using an HFSK code, for example, or using any other suitable coding scheme. The code may use multiple ultrasonic frequencies, for example four different frequencies, to encode commands for operating a firearm accessory. The code may allow use of, for example, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more than 5 different commands to control the firearm accessory.

Each pairing of a transmitter module and a receiver module may use a unique code distinguishable from all other codes used for such transmitter and receiver modules. Alternatively, each pairing of a transmitter module and a receiver module may use one of a plurality (e.g., greater than or equal to 10, greater than or equal to 100, or greater than or equal to 1000) distinguishable codes, thereby allowing use of groups of more than 10, more than 100, or more than 1000 sets of paired transmitter and receiver modules with each paired set in a group using a code that is unique compared to the other pairs in the group. This allows more than one set of paired transmitter and receiver modules to be used in close proximity without cross-talk or interference.

The coding scheme may be selected to allow creation of multiple codes as described above to execute for example five different commands without the worry of cross-detection between different sets of paired transmitter and receiver modules used in close proximity, multi-path/reflection interruption, false detection, missed detection, or signal interruption due to low signal to noise ratio in a worst-case multi-signal and noise environment that may include high magnitude low frequency ambient acoustic noise. The coding scheme may be further selected to tolerate a low bit (data) transmission rate resulting from a significant reduction in signal fidelity due to multiple signal paths from the transmitter module to the receiver module arising from lack of line-of-sight positioning of the transmitter and receiver.

As noted above, the firearm accessory may be or comprise, for example, a laser pointer, an illuminator, or a laser pointer and an illuminator. The methods, apparatus, and systems disclosed herein may be used with other accessories, as well. For example, the accessory may be one or more sensors measuring characteristics of the firearm such as, for example, orientation or number of rounds fired. The methods, apparatus, and systems disclosed herein may be used for example to control operation of such sensors and/or to control collection of data from such sensors.

The methods, apparatus, and systems disclosed herein may support or include bidirectional communication between the firearm accessory and a module (e.g., a transmitter module as described above) positioned on the firearm for convenient use by an operator. Such bidirectional communication may include, for example, a signal indicating that the firearm accessory is operating as it was commanded.

Various embodiments are described in the following clauses.

Clause 1. A wireless control system for a firearm accessory, the control system comprising:

a transmitter module comprising an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory; and

a receiver module comprising an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the one or more signals transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitter, the receiver module controlling operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands represented by the ultrasonic signals.

Clause 2. The wireless control system of clause 1, wherein the transmitter module comprises at least one mechanically activated control that may be activated by an operator of the firearm to initiate transmission by the ultrasonic transmitter of the one or more ultrasonic signals.

Clause 3. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-2, wherein the transmitter module is at least partially integrated into the firearm.

Clause 4. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the transmitter module is at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm.

Clause 5. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the transmitter module is at least partially integrated into the firearm at a stock or grip end of the firearm or at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm at a stock or grip end of the firearm.

Clause 6. The wireless control system of clauses 1-5, wherein the receiver module is at least partially integrated into the firearm.

Clause 7. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the receiver module is at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm.

Clause 8. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-7, wherein the receiver module comprises a field programmable gate array configured to decode the commands from the ultrasonic signals.

Clause 9. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the commands are encoded as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code.

Clause 10. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-9, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver are not positioned in line of sight with respect to each other.

Clause 11. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-10, wherein the firearm accessory comprises one or more laser pointers.

Clause 12. The wireless control system of any of clauses 1-11, wherein the firearm accessory comprises one or more illuminators.

Clause 13. A method for wireless control of a firearm accessory, the method comprising:

transmitting from a transmitter module one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory;

receiving the one or more ultrasonic signals with a receiver module;

decoding the one or more ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module to identify the commands they represent; and

controlling the firearm accessory according to the decoded commands.

Clause 14. The method of clause 13, comprising activation of a control to initiate transmission by the ultrasonic transmitter of the one or more ultrasonic signals.

Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 13-14, comprising decoding the ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module with a field programmable gate array configured to do so.

Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 13-15, wherein the commands are encoded as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code.

Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 13-16, wherein the firearm accessory, the transmitter module, and the receiver module are all mounted on the firearm.

Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 13-17, wherein the accessory comprises one or more laser pointers.

Clause 19. The method of any of clauses 13-18, wherein the accessory comprises one or more illuminators.

Clause 20. A method of making a wireless control system for a firearm accessory, the method comprising:

encoding for transmission as one or more ultrasonic signals one or more commands for controlling operation of the firearm accessory;

configuring a transmitter module to transmit the one or more ultrasonic signals in response to activation of one or more mechanical switches; and

configuring a receiver module to receive the one or more ultrasonic signals and control operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands encoded in the ultrasonic signals.

Clause 21. The method of clause 20, comprising encoding the commands as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code.

Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 20-21 wherein the receiver module comprises a field programmable gate array, comprising configuring the field programmable gate array to decode the ultrasonic signals to identify the commands they represent.

Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 20-22, comprising arranging at least a portion of the transmitter module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm.

Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 20-23, comprising integrating at least a portion of the transmitter module in a firearm.

Clause 25. The method of any of clauses 20-24, comprising arranging at least a portion of the receiver module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm.

Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 20-25, comprising integrating at least a portion of the receiver module in a firearm.

This disclosure is illustrative and not limiting. Further modifications will be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of this disclosure and are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless control system for a firearm accessory, the control system comprising: a transmitter module comprising an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory; and a receiver module comprising an ultrasonic receiver configured to receive the one or more signals transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitter, the receiver module controlling operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands represented by the ultrasonic signals.
 2. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter module comprises at least one mechanically activated control that may be activated by an operator of the firearm to initiate transmission by the ultrasonic transmitter of the one or more ultrasonic signals.
 3. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter module is at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm.
 4. The wireless control system of claim 3, wherein the housing is configured to be attached to the firearm at a stock or grip end of the firearm.
 5. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the receiver module is at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm.
 6. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the receiver module comprises a field programmable gate array configured to decode the commands from the ultrasonic signals.
 7. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the commands are encoded as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code.
 8. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter module and the ultrasonic receiver module are mounted on the firearm and not in line of sight with respect to each other.
 9. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein the firearm accessory comprises one or more laser pointers, one or more illuminators, or one or more laser pointers and one or more illuminators.
 10. The wireless control system of claim 1, wherein: the transmitter module is at least partially housed in a housing configured to be attached to the firearm; the receiver module is at least partially housed in another housing configured to be attached to the firearm; and the transmitter module comprises at least one mechanically activated control that may be activated by an operator of the firearm to initiate transmission by the ultrasonic transmitter of the one or more ultrasonic signals.
 11. The wireless control system of claim 10, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter module and the ultrasonic receiver module are mounted on the firearm and not in line of sight with respect to each other.
 12. A method for wireless control of a firearm accessory, the method comprising: transmitting from a transmitter module one or more ultrasonic signals representing one or more commands for controlling the firearm accessory; receiving the one or more ultrasonic signals with a receiver module; decoding the one or more ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module to identify the commands they represent; and controlling the firearm accessory according to the decoded commands.
 13. The method of claim 12, comprising activating a control to initiate transmission by the ultrasonic transmitter of the one or more ultrasonic signals.
 14. The method of claim 12, comprising decoding the ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module with a field programmable gate array configured to do so.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the commands are encoded as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the firearm accessory, the transmitter module, and the receiver module are all mounted on the firearm.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the firearm accessory comprises one or more laser pointers, one or more illuminators, or one or more laser pointers and one or more illuminators.
 18. The method of claim 12 wherein the commands are encoded as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code, comprising decoding the ultrasonic signals received by the receiver module with a field programmable gate array configured to do so.
 19. A method of making a wireless control system for a firearm accessory, the method comprising: encoding for transmission as one or more ultrasonic signals one or more commands for controlling operation of the firearm accessory; configuring a transmitter module to transmit the one or more ultrasonic signals in response to activation of one or more mechanical switches; and configuring a receiver module to receive the one or more ultrasonic signals and control operation of the firearm accessory according to the commands encoded in the ultrasonic signals.
 20. The method of claim 19, comprising encoding the commands as ultrasonic signals using a hopped frequency shift keyed code.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the receiver module comprises a field programmable gate array, comprising configuring the field programmable gate array to decode the ultrasonic signals to identify the commands they represent.
 22. The method of claim 19, comprising arranging at least a portion of the transmitter module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm.
 23. The method of claim 19, comprising arranging at least a portion of the receiver module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm.
 24. The method of claim 19, comprising: arranging at least a portion of the transmitter module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm; and arranging at least a portion of the receiver module in a housing configured to be mounted to a firearm. 